“Certainty is never built alone,” said Hitendra Patel, CEO of GIMI. “Every winner this year has built the people, processes and partnerships that turn ideas into results. That is what Innovation 5.0 is about, and Cartagena is the right place to celebrate it.”

In his keynote, Patel argued that the next era of innovation will be defined by how well organizations combine human judgment with AI and data. “For decades, most companies treated innovation as a bet,” he said. “Innovation 5.0 changes that. With AI, real-time data and disciplined management systems, leaders can move from intuition to strategic certainty. The organizations that build that capability now will set the pace for the next decade, and the winners recognized today are already operating that way.”

This year’s Ronald Jonash Innovation Lifetime Achievement Award is presented to Dr. Stephen Hodges, who reshaped how innovation is taught, from a single classroom to a global stage, and put students in front of the boardrooms of the world’s largest companies. The award honors the legacy of GIMI Chairman Ronald Jonash, a pioneer of innovation management, and recognizes an individual whose career has shaped how organizations innovate.

Innova Latam 2026 features 26 speakers and panelists across four themes, including leaders from Siemens Healthineers, Miami International Airport, BBVA Spark, Terpel, Postobón, the International Chamber of Commerce and Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture. The summit continues on November 6 with an invitation-only Business Tour of innovative companies in Cartagena.

“Innovation is no longer a matter of luck or inspiration. It is a discipline that can be built, measured and scaled,” said Erila Haska, Chief Operating Officer of GIMI. “Today’s winners prove it, and we hope each of them becomes a reference point for the next generation of innovators in Latin America and beyond.”